Resume Writing & Career Marketing Insider

Top Tips for Handling References Professionally During Your Job Search

1. Never submit your references with the resume. You want to have a face-to-face meeting with the employer, or at the very least, a telephone interview, before providing references. The purpose of the resume, at least at this stage of the job search process, is to generate enough interest to get you called in for an interview. By listing references on your resume, you just give the recipient of your resume another opportunity to screen you out before you have a chance to sell yourself in person. Also, avoid the old and overused phrase "references provided on request." It is taken for granted that you will provide references on request. There is no need to state on your resume that you will do so. Listing this on your resume just takes up valuable space that could be used for more important data.

2. Former or current direct supervisors make excellent references, but clients, your former employees, co-workers, and vendors you have interfaced with often make great references also. If you have people willing to endorse you whose names are recognizable in your industry or profession and who will add credibility to your job search, by all means include them--and do so prominently. But, don't neglect to include references from people at all levels, particularly those in positions that represent the people you would have to interact with on a real-world, day-to-day basis in your next job.

3. As much as possible, you will want to maintain connections with "old" colleagues and other people that you worked with or associated with in past jobs. While the most current references will often hold the most weight, having no references from past employers can look suspect. Recruiters may wonder, for example, if you left your past employer on bad terms or if you had or have trouble establishing strong professional relationships.  If you have lost touch with old colleagues, you might try looking for them on LinkedIn or other professional networking sites. 

4. Contact each person that you intend to list as a reference and ask for their permission. Never provide someone as a reference unless you have discussed it with them first and briefed them on your current job search. Verify the contact information for each reference and ask for permission to list a telephone number and email address. When relevant, you will want to list the name of your reference, along with their current job title and the company at which they work. While mailing addresses are rarely necessary, you should include at least the city and state (or country, if the reference is an international one). You should also include the preferred telephone number and email address for the reference.

5. Bring a professionally typed and formatted list of references with you to the interview, preferably with a font and formatting style that is consistent with your resume. To really stand out from the competition, you can make your references list a powerful part of your overall marketing presentation by including a brief background of how the person knows you and for how many years, along with a summary of the qualifications and achievements that your reference can speak to. If you worked together on a key project, for example, this would be the place to mention it. Formatting your references in this way transforms a simple listing of references into a references dossier, and will give you true competitive advantage once the selection process begins, as very few (if any) of your competitors will provide references in this memorable and highly professional way.  Examples of how this can be done can be viewed at www.distinctiveweb.com/samples.

Do you want to use this article in Your ezine or website? You are welcome to as long as you use the following text with it:

Nationally certified resume writer, career marketing expert, and personal branding strategist, Michelle Dumas is the founder and executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP Services delivered through http://www.100kcareermarketing.com  Michelle has empowered thousands of executives, professionals, and managers all across the U.S. and worldwide with all the tools and resources necessary to conduct a fast, effective job search. Michelle is also the author of the popular e-book 101 Before-and-After Resume Examples found at http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com and of Secrets of a Successful Job Search: 7 Simple Steps to Land the Job You Want in Half the Time found at http://www.distinctiveweb.com/jobsearchsecrets.html To learn more about her job search products, resume writing services, and career marketing programs, and to sign up for many other free resources, visit her websites

Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.

Continuous Education & Professional Training

On Wednesday morning I am leaving for Savannah, Georgia to attend the tenth annual NRWA (National Resume Writers' Association) convention. I am proud to say that I attended the very first convention held in Chicago ten years ago, and this year will make the sixth NRWA convention that I have attended. Started just a little over ten years ago, the NRWA has grown into the only not-for-profit, member-driven organization of its type worldwide, now with over 400 members.

Over the years, I have served as a volunteer for NRWA, as an elected regional representative on the national Board of Directors, and for six years on the Certification Commission that developed and managed the most rigorous certification program in our profession, the NCRW program. While I am no longer involved in the day-to-day work of the Commission, I do still sit on the four-member NCRW Advisory Committee. In fact, Friday night at the convention, I will be consulting with members currently pursuing certification, to educate them on the exam standards and expectations.

The NRWA is just one of the organizations I am involved in, and its convention is just one of the educational opportunities I take advantage of each year, to continuously enhance and refine my skills. The more I know--the more of an expert that I become in my profession--the more value that I deliver to my clients. Likewise, the workshops YOU attend and the training programs YOU complete make YOU more valuable to your employer and potential future employers. I've made a commitment to pursue continuous education and to constantly work to improve and broaden my skills and knowledge. What have you done recently to enhance your value and your competitive advantage in the job market? Have you updated your resume with the information? If not, there is never a better time than the present! Contact us at http:/www.distinctiveweb.com to learn about having your resume written or rewritten.

Early Retirement? Best Places to Retire?

I've signed up to take a class in retirement coaching, and hope to finish it this coming winter. In part, this is just part of my objectives this year to really enhance and refine my coaching skills, and explore how I might add formal coaching programs to my services (www.distinctivedocuments.com and www.100kcareermarketing.com). But, I am also interested in maybe - at some point - branching out into the retirement coaching field, which is of course, a niche in the career coaching field. More specifically, I have an interest in working with early retirees and early semi-retirees who are ready to leave the long hours behind and embark on the next stage of their lives.

I think that what first sparked my interest in this field, was learning about Billy and Akaisha who retired  comfortably on modest savings 17 years ago at the age of 38.  You can learn more about them  at http://www.retireearlylifestyle.com/ and http://www.retireearlyhomepage.com/

I've also purchased two books on the subject of early retirement. The first,  Work Less, Live More: The New Way to Retire Early I am almost finished reading. It is fantastic, really inspiring, and has some great ideas for early retirees and those who want to retire early. The second is How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free: Retirement Wisdom That You Won't Get from Your Financial Advisor. I haven't read this second one yet, but it has great reviews on Amazon.

The reason for my post on this topic today, is that I just happened on a press release this morning about the best countries to retire to. According to the study, the top 10, based on criteria such as climate, cost of living, and real estate prices are:

    1.  Mexico
    2.  Ecuador
    3.  Italy
    4.  Panama
    5.  Australia
    5.  Malta
    7.  Spain
    7.  South Africa
    7.  Malaysia
    10. France
    10. Thailand

Q&A: How Resumes Have Changed

Q. How are resumes different now than in the past?

A. There are actually many differences because styles and trends for resumes are changing all the time. However, I would say that the most fundamental difference has come about with the increasing importance of personal branding. While it is much more complex than this, at its essence, personal branding is about the authentic and unique promise of value you offer. In relation to your career, it is about the promise of value you offer that differentiates you from your peers and competitors in the workplace and job market. On your resume, this personal brand needs to be communicated in a way that will distinguish you from the vast pool of candidates. This demand--this need to communicate on your resume exactly what it is that differentiates you and sets you apart from the competition in the job market--has really transformed what used to be viewed as a simple chronological listing of employment into a dynamic and compelling self-marketing document. And, of course, it isn't enough to just tell the reader of your resume that you have certain abilities. You must illustrate these abilities and your value proposition through past accomplishments presented as concise "success studies" complete with challenge faced, action taken, immediate result, and strategic importance.

Organizing For Top Results: The Foundation of a Fast, Successful Job Search

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the average length of unemployment is about 18 weeks. But this statistic accounts for all industries, sectors, and professional levels. While you may be one of the lucky few, other statistics indicate that the average job search for a professional or mid-manager can take six months (25-26 weeks) or more. Of course, if you are changing careers, your job search may be even longer. And if you are currently employed, your search will often take longer simply because you have less time to devote to it.

Clearly, for most professionals, the days of just going through the Sunday paper and sending out a few resumes is over. Today, conducting a multi-pronged search is critical. While the individual techniques and tactics of job searching are relatively simple, there are multiple steps you have to take, often simultaneously, and you will be dealing with massive amounts of information. Unless you find a way to keep this information organized in an easily maintained and managed system, you can quickly become overwhelmed, bogged down, and confused. If you let yourself get caught up in the details, you can easily lose sight of the big picture and lose momentum. An organized plan and system will help keep you motivated, moving forward, and focused on achieving the ultimate goal.

In this excerpt from “Secrets of a Successful Job Search: 7 Simple Steps to Land the Job You Want in Half the Time,” I will describe a simple, easy-to-maintain system that you can begin using today to immediately improve the efficiency and productivity of your job search.

The 4 Major Job Search Phases

In the overall job search process, there are essentially four key phases:

1) Option evaluation, goal setting & campaign planning
2) Job search & follow-up campaign 
3) Job offers & negotiations
4) Accept and begin new job

At the start of your search, it is essential to create a system to schedule, track, and log all of your activities for the first three phases. At the very least, you need a calendaring system, a system of logging inter-related and follow-up activities, a contact management system, and a filing system.

Create the Ultimate Job Search Filing System

The foundation of your organizational system will be your filing system. It is possible to do this on your computer, to use a traditional filing method, or to use a large three-ring binder. Because it allows you to physically pick it up and carry it with you anywhere, I actually prefer the three-ring binder method, so that is what I will describe in this article. But if you prefer one of the other methods, just adapt these suggestions accordingly.

Before you go any further, I suggest going out and buying a large three-ring binder right now. A large-capacity one like a 4 or 5 inch will be easiest. You will also need some tab sheets to label the sections. Some hole-punched pocket sheets that allow you to store loose sheets of paper and computer disks would also be really helpful. Now you will want to use the tabs to create 9 categories:

1) Career Vision & Job Target

Begin your filing system by including a very clear written statement of your current job target in a divided section named “Career Vision & Job Target.” You should also include a written copy of your Personal Branding Statement. In this same binder, you can keep copies of any assessments you may have completed recently or in the past, to help you in setting your career goals.  This is also the place where you will want to keep references, printouts, or copies of any industry or profession-related articles or research related to your job target.

2) Career Marketing Documents

In this section, store clean master copies of your resume, biography, all job search letters and correspondence, a list of references, a salary history, and any other documents that you might use in your search. This is also a good place to keep letters of reference written for you by others, copies of awards, educational transcripts, training certificates, and any other documents supporting and proving your qualifications.

3) Company & Industry Research

This section is a great place keep printouts or copies of any articles or other research that you have collected on companies that interest you and that you have targeted or plan to target during your search. This is also a good place to store research on industry trends and competitive data of relevance to these companies.

4) Job Advertisements

While you should keep more detailed activity logs elsewhere, in the Job Advertisements section of your filing binder, you should keep a copy of every ad you have answered along with some basic notes about the date you responded and the documents that you sent.

5) Internet Job Searching

The Internet Job Searching section is a perfect place to keep records of the websites you are using in your job search, places where you have posted your resume, and any passwords and user names associated with the sites.

6) Networking & Referrals

Again, you should keep more thorough records and logs elsewhere, but the Networking and Referrals section is a good place to keep a hard-copy printout of your networking address book along with any notes of information you want to remember in relation to particular individuals.

7) Recruiters & Agencies

In the recruiters and agencies section, you should keep detailed notes about every headhunter firm or job search agency you have worked with or contacted.

8) Interview Preparation

The interview preparation section can be used to keep all of the notes you will accumulate as you prepare for interviews. This is also a good place to keep notes on questions you want to ask during interviews and notes about interviews you have been on.

9) Salary Research

In the Salary Research section, you can keep data and research you have collected to help you define your own market value and to prepare for salary negotiations once you have been offered a job.

In short, this binder gives you the ability to store all of the documentation related to your job search in one central place. Keeping accurate, up-to-date records of your job search activities, logs of contacts you have made, and step-by-step, calendared plans of the activities you must complete in order to reach your job search goals will pay you back for your effort multiple times over through a faster and more successful job search. By creating a plan and system for your job search, you will always know where to focus your attention and what you should be doing next.

But remember, while this step of getting organized and creating your job search system is a critically important one, you must remember to NOT get bogged down. It is important to be organized but it is also critical that you get started on your search. Don’t let not having a perfect system prevent you from moving forward. At the most, spend just a couple of days establishing your organizational system.

“Secrets of a Successful Job Search: 7 Simple Steps to Land the Job You Want in Half the Time” includes even more tips on getting and staying organized in your job search –including a checklist to help you stay on track—along with all of the other essential information you need to bring your job search to a  fast, successful conclusion.

Do you want to use this article in Your ezine or website? You are welcome to as long as you use the following text with it:

Nationally certified resume writer, career marketing expert, and personal branding strategist, Michelle Dumas is the founder and executive director of Distinctive Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP Services delivered through http://www.100kcareermarketing.com  Michelle has empowered thousands of executives, professionals, and managers all across the U.S. and worldwide with all the tools and resources necessary to conduct a fast, effective job search. Michelle is also the author of the popular e-book 101 Before-and-After Resume Examples found at http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com and of Secrets of a Successful Job Search: 7 Simple Steps to Land the Job You Want in Half the Time found at http://www.distinctiveweb.com/jobsearchsecrets.html. To learn more about her job search products, resume writing services, and career marketing programs, and to sign up for many other free resources, visit her websites.

Copyright 2007. All rights reserved.